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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
I'd read that this second book in the series was better than the first. I didn't really think so. Now we know all the characters. Angel is finding her way to self-improvement via zombiehood. There's a mystery, and she solves it. It was fine.
But I realized that the author has taken some of the attributes you normally see in vampires (strength, speed, etc) and just turned the cause from vampire (NEEDS BLOOD!!!!) to zombie. (NEEDS BRAIIIINSS!!!) When I realized this, I was really disappointed. That's largely because I HATE vampire stories with the burning heat of a thousand fiery suns. Realizing these are just vampire stories in other clothes probably means I may drop the series now. Bummer.
But I realized that the author has taken some of the attributes you normally see in vampires (strength, speed, etc) and just turned the cause from vampire (NEEDS BLOOD!!!!) to zombie. (NEEDS BRAIIIINSS!!!) When I realized this, I was really disappointed. That's largely because I HATE vampire stories with the burning heat of a thousand fiery suns. Realizing these are just vampire stories in other clothes probably means I may drop the series now. Bummer.
This book was just as good if not better than the first one. I never thought I would like a series about zombies so much. Definitely a worthy read.
Like the fact that it has only taken being turned into a zombie to make Angel into a strong female character that handles herself pretty well.
2.5 rounded up to 3 stars.
The first 80% is a rambly mess. Boring, boring, boring. I started skimming around 40% I think. Luckily skimming is easy with this book because pertinent info is few and far between. The descriptions are super plentiful though. Annoying because I'd rather use my imagination for clothes and furniture placement and such. But this is highly detailed. Fine for a movie but sucks for a book.
Sad how disappointed I was with this installment. I liked this first book a lot. So I rounded this up to a 3 because I really enjoyed the end. (And, okay, I loved the cover!) I will try the next book, with subterranean expectations though. That book will determine whether I continue the series or not.
The first 80% is a rambly mess. Boring, boring, boring. I started skimming around 40% I think. Luckily skimming is easy with this book because pertinent info is few and far between. The descriptions are super plentiful though. Annoying because I'd rather use my imagination for clothes and furniture placement and such. But this is highly detailed. Fine for a movie but sucks for a book.
Sad how disappointed I was with this installment. I liked this first book a lot. So I rounded this up to a 3 because I really enjoyed the end. (And, okay, I loved the cover!) I will try the next book, with subterranean expectations though. That book will determine whether I continue the series or not.
Angel Crawford has come to terms with the fact that she is a zombie. In fact, she thrives off of her new existence. She loves her job at the morgue, and is enjoying spending time with her new zombie boyfriend, Marcus. Then she is robbed at gunpoint while at work, and a body is stolen. When the local newspaper suggests that Angel irresponsibly lost the body and made up the story, citing her shifty past as proof, Angel is furious. If the coroner loses faith in her this would mean the loss of her new job, and easy access to brains. Angel knows that there's more to this stolen body than people suspect, but can't get anyone to believe her, even Marcus. Is there a way for Angel to find out the truth and clear her name, or will her happy new life fall to pieces?
Even White Trash Zombie Get the Blues the second book in the surprisingly addictive White Trash Zombie Series. There's plenty that makes this title stand out from other paranormal series. For one, the book eschews the normal vampire/werewolf/witch/demon character types, and embraces a unique type of zombie. Secondly, Rowland's own past experience as a morgue assistant, crime scene investigator and detective lends credulity to mystery elements. Thirdly, Angel's story is not just one of supernatural peril, but a very human one as well. Angel, like all of us, is just trying to live a better life. By the time Even White Trash Zombies Get the Blues begins, she has already made great strides towards this new life. Still, your past has a way of catching up to you.
Even White Trash Zombies Gets the Blues continues to develop plot threads and relationships from My Life as a White Trash Zombie. I love how Rowland doesn't just automatically assume that now that Angel has a job and a boyfriend that her life is going to be great, as that would be very unrealistic. Her relationship with her alcoholic father is better, but rocky. Her romantic relationship with Marcus is still very new, and far from perfect. Marcus, although a pretty solid guy, has a habit of trying just doing what he assumes is right for Angel without asking her first, which is very in line with his character from book one. This poor communication is a common issue in real life romantic relationships, as is Angel's habit of storming off and not dealing with the problem at hand. It's really nice to see that touch of realism here. Another thing I liked about this book is that we get to learn more about the lives and organizations of other zombies. I also found the murder mystery plot line to be much improved from book one, and not predictable at all.
Final Thoughts: Even White Trash Zombies Get the Blues is even better than My Life as a White Trash Zombie. The author does a great job of balancing the fun supernatural elements and the more human ones, giving us a fast paced story that feels grounded in reality, despite it's paranormal premise. I am quite sad that I will have to wait until next year before can I see what adventures Angel embarks upon next.
Even White Trash Zombie Get the Blues the second book in the surprisingly addictive White Trash Zombie Series. There's plenty that makes this title stand out from other paranormal series. For one, the book eschews the normal vampire/werewolf/witch/demon character types, and embraces a unique type of zombie. Secondly, Rowland's own past experience as a morgue assistant, crime scene investigator and detective lends credulity to mystery elements. Thirdly, Angel's story is not just one of supernatural peril, but a very human one as well. Angel, like all of us, is just trying to live a better life. By the time Even White Trash Zombies Get the Blues begins, she has already made great strides towards this new life. Still, your past has a way of catching up to you.
Even White Trash Zombies Gets the Blues continues to develop plot threads and relationships from My Life as a White Trash Zombie. I love how Rowland doesn't just automatically assume that now that Angel has a job and a boyfriend that her life is going to be great, as that would be very unrealistic. Her relationship with her alcoholic father is better, but rocky. Her romantic relationship with Marcus is still very new, and far from perfect. Marcus, although a pretty solid guy, has a habit of trying just doing what he assumes is right for Angel without asking her first, which is very in line with his character from book one. This poor communication is a common issue in real life romantic relationships, as is Angel's habit of storming off and not dealing with the problem at hand. It's really nice to see that touch of realism here. Another thing I liked about this book is that we get to learn more about the lives and organizations of other zombies. I also found the murder mystery plot line to be much improved from book one, and not predictable at all.
Final Thoughts: Even White Trash Zombies Get the Blues is even better than My Life as a White Trash Zombie. The author does a great job of balancing the fun supernatural elements and the more human ones, giving us a fast paced story that feels grounded in reality, despite it's paranormal premise. I am quite sad that I will have to wait until next year before can I see what adventures Angel embarks upon next.
Not since Stephanie Plum have I enjoyed a character as much as Angel Crawford. As a white-trash, foul-mouthed accidental zombie, she battles her human enemies and tries to understand her new place in the world. Most of these stories unfold as strange murder-mysteries. These are not usually deep or complicated stories, but fun bits of escapism. Nice for a beach read or free afternoon.
I barely ever read books of a series right after each other. Somehow I feel my motivation to read stays alive more when I switch things up. Doubly so when it's about thick volumes. In this case the individual books being so short did help me go. So there is that.
Angel keeps going on with her un-life as normal. As normal as being a zombie working for a coroner, who recently almost got murdered with her also zombie boyfriend by his zombie hunter best friend could be, really. Up until a guy with a gun steals a corpse from her at work. Of course she gets accused of being complicit or some such, but then things get weirder and it seems like there are more people being into the zombie business and taking it much, much more seriously than anyone would have guessed.
I assumed zombies were simply smarter and working by a different mechanic here, but never really guessed how much of a pseudo-mafia thing could possibly go on behind it all. It makes a ridiculous amount of sense though, eating brains works like an actual life and death addiction situation and there is no way to just get handed human brains legally for whatever purposes you need without some serious questions being asked. It really made me think about how organised life is. How (while yes, negligence and accidents happen, but) everything we do is documented and it all goes though a certain amounts of regulated hands to make even the death business work. Which is especially funny as a cousin of mine only recently quit being a prosector after something like two decades.
It all just hit that sweet spot of zombies being interesting and viable. I mean really, it's so much like human nature to form groups, get some hierarchy running and trying to make on a way to have a more comfortable and hassle-free way of dealing with the uncomfortable things you have to do. If you think about it, this is why we invented cars, plumbing, electricity, everything. So of course zombies able to think would do the same.
Here there is also some more personal drama, again, the right amount. Angel has things she needs to deal with and being a zombie didn't make them not important anymore. Just because she is something different from a normal human being doesn't make the difficult human relationships go away and I think that's part of this books's good parts. She isn't a victim, though. The book actually acknowledges that while things were and are stacked against her, she is not a helpless person who is not responsible with ruining many things for herself and in a way that also tell you that she also has the power to fix things. They don't happen overnight, but what's going on still has a chance for us to influence it for the better or worse.
From my experience this is something what a lot of modern "strong female characters" lack; a clear connection between what happened to them, their own responsibility of doing things, their issues and the solutions. Somehow the personal responsibility is always cut out and it's always someone else's horribleness or mistakes that ruins them, which they just have to fix without even acknowledging that they themselves could do something wrong. THIS difference is why Angel is a great character. (She also has meaningful relationships with men without trying to one up them. Which is increasingly rare and I love it. My worth as a woman doesn't come from the number of men I can humiliate and be a bitch to in a petty way, my own achievements are the reward.)
What I really appreciate about this is how it manages to deliver some positive thoughts without being in your face preachy and trying to be too deep and dramatic. It's still fun and full of action. Still has humour and good moments. It doesn't take itself too seriously to just fall flat and become a comical piece of... something unidentifiable with way too much pathos. This is something we should treasure; when a story delivers something worthwhile for different people looking for different depth. I doesn't need to be mindless and it doesn't need to be forced faux intellectual. Let the story speak for itself.
Oh, also it's fun that the story has some elements with investigation techniques explained. There is a part when they go and take fingerprints from an object found at a crime scene and maybe I'm just a noob, but I had no idea how that was done. As a fan of random information bits and pieces, this was awesome. Guess why I am so good at trivia games which I watch on TV avidly. I get so pissed when people claim reading fiction is useless because it gives you no factual knowledge. Eat your heart out, I learn new stuff every day from books with white trash zombies.
I'm obviously going to read the next book. At this point there is no way for me to not do it, so there is that. It's genuinely much better than it has the right to be.
Have a nice day and use your brains, one way or another!
Angel keeps going on with her un-life as normal. As normal as being a zombie working for a coroner, who recently almost got murdered with her also zombie boyfriend by his zombie hunter best friend could be, really. Up until a guy with a gun steals a corpse from her at work. Of course she gets accused of being complicit or some such, but then things get weirder and it seems like there are more people being into the zombie business and taking it much, much more seriously than anyone would have guessed.
I assumed zombies were simply smarter and working by a different mechanic here, but never really guessed how much of a pseudo-mafia thing could possibly go on behind it all. It makes a ridiculous amount of sense though, eating brains works like an actual life and death addiction situation and there is no way to just get handed human brains legally for whatever purposes you need without some serious questions being asked. It really made me think about how organised life is. How (while yes, negligence and accidents happen, but) everything we do is documented and it all goes though a certain amounts of regulated hands to make even the death business work. Which is especially funny as a cousin of mine only recently quit being a prosector after something like two decades.
It all just hit that sweet spot of zombies being interesting and viable. I mean really, it's so much like human nature to form groups, get some hierarchy running and trying to make on a way to have a more comfortable and hassle-free way of dealing with the uncomfortable things you have to do. If you think about it, this is why we invented cars, plumbing, electricity, everything. So of course zombies able to think would do the same.
Here there is also some more personal drama, again, the right amount. Angel has things she needs to deal with and being a zombie didn't make them not important anymore. Just because she is something different from a normal human being doesn't make the difficult human relationships go away and I think that's part of this books's good parts. She isn't a victim, though. The book actually acknowledges that while things were and are stacked against her, she is not a helpless person who is not responsible with ruining many things for herself and in a way that also tell you that she also has the power to fix things. They don't happen overnight, but what's going on still has a chance for us to influence it for the better or worse.
From my experience this is something what a lot of modern "strong female characters" lack; a clear connection between what happened to them, their own responsibility of doing things, their issues and the solutions. Somehow the personal responsibility is always cut out and it's always someone else's horribleness or mistakes that ruins them, which they just have to fix without even acknowledging that they themselves could do something wrong. THIS difference is why Angel is a great character. (She also has meaningful relationships with men without trying to one up them. Which is increasingly rare and I love it. My worth as a woman doesn't come from the number of men I can humiliate and be a bitch to in a petty way, my own achievements are the reward.)
What I really appreciate about this is how it manages to deliver some positive thoughts without being in your face preachy and trying to be too deep and dramatic. It's still fun and full of action. Still has humour and good moments. It doesn't take itself too seriously to just fall flat and become a comical piece of... something unidentifiable with way too much pathos. This is something we should treasure; when a story delivers something worthwhile for different people looking for different depth. I doesn't need to be mindless and it doesn't need to be forced faux intellectual. Let the story speak for itself.
Oh, also it's fun that the story has some elements with investigation techniques explained. There is a part when they go and take fingerprints from an object found at a crime scene and maybe I'm just a noob, but I had no idea how that was done. As a fan of random information bits and pieces, this was awesome. Guess why I am so good at trivia games which I watch on TV avidly. I get so pissed when people claim reading fiction is useless because it gives you no factual knowledge. Eat your heart out, I learn new stuff every day from books with white trash zombies.
I'm obviously going to read the next book. At this point there is no way for me to not do it, so there is that. It's genuinely much better than it has the right to be.
Have a nice day and use your brains, one way or another!
If like me, you enjoyed My Life as a White Trash Zombie, get ready for a hell of a ride! Rowland definitly did not dissapoint in this second book following kick ass chick Angel Crawford. As she's getting used to her new "lifestyle", sh***'s about to hit the fan in the Zombie World. Twist and turns and bumps and jumps are all waiting for you to open this book.
I just love these books! I never know what's going to happen in them! Who doesn't love a bad ass chick and zombies, but to make it even better she is the zombie BAM perfection right there!